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First inscription from Macao on Memory of the World Register at MOWCAP 4

On 9 March 2010 the Archives and materials of the Macao Diocese from 1550s to 1800s were added to the Asia-Pacific Memory of the World Register. This first inscription from the Macao SAR, China, joined seven other new inscriptions on the Register, from China, Vietnam, Mongolia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Philippines.

The new inscriptions were a highlight of the 4th General Meeting of MOWCAP, UNESCO's Memory of the World Regional Committee for Asia-Pacific, convened in Macao from 8 to 9 March 2010. The former Portuguese colony became a special administrative region (SAR) of the Peoples' Republic of China in 1999. With its distinctive colonial atmosphere, culture and history, Macao boasts an extensive UNESCO World Heritage site, to which it can now add a MOW listing.

The 4th MOWCAP General Meeting was by far the largest to date, attracting some 58 participants from 18 countries. Serving as the biennial meeting point for the national MOW committees across the region, the two-day gathering reviews the activities and strategies of MOWCAP, which are aimed at strengthening the work of libraries, archives and museums, raising awareness of the documentary heritage, and improving preservation and access capabilities.

Together with heads of institutions and chairs of national MOW committees, the meeting was attended by senior government representatives. To support the growing MOWCAP programme, an enlarged Bureau was elected. Its members will serve in a personal capacity, not as representatives or advocates of countries or groups, for the next four years. A catalyst for workshops and other activities, MOWCAP is preparing its first major publication, Memory - a coffee-table guide through the heritage of the Asia-Pacific region.

<li>China: The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - Originating in the second century BC, the theoretical foundation for the formation and development of traditional Chinese medicine

<li>Fiji: Documentary heritage of the Indian indentured labourers - Records of colonially-induced labour migration from 1879 to the 1960s

<li>Macao SAR: Archives and materials of the Macao Diocese from the 1550s to 1800s - Records, correspondence, training materials and books documenting the development of Catholicism in the Far East, and influences on culture, economics and education in China and Europe

<li>Mongolia: "Lu Altan Tobchi" - A chronicle written in 1651, covering the history of Mongolia and neighbouring countries from the 13th to 17th centuries, including the reach of the Mongol empire across Asia and Europe

<li>New Zealand: The Tokyo War Crimes Trials 1946-1948 - Documents of the International Military Tribunal Far East, including the history of Japanese ambitions in the Pacific prior to World War II

<li>Philippines: The Presidential papers of Manuel Luis Quezon - Principal documentary source of Philippine history for the American colonial period 1898-1946

<li>Vietnam: Stone stele records of Royal Examinations of the Le and Mac dynasties 1442-1779 - Names and related information of doctoral laureates who passed the 82 royal examinations over this period and formed the core of Vietnam's civil service